Air-line hull and trash extractor



March 18, 1930. J. E. MITCHELL 1,750,352

AIR LINE HULL AND'TRASH EXTRACTOR Filed Feb. 16, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l vt/vrae JOHN ,6. Mme/mp Arro /v6):

March 18, .1930.

J. E. MITCHELL AIR LINE HULL AND TRASH EXTRACTOR Filed Feb. 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7- To 9N5 x Patented Mar. 18, 1930 FATE OFFICE UNI ED STATE$ JOHN E- MITCHELL, F T. LO IS, MISSOUBI ra-L ma em TRASH, EXTRAGTOB Application filed February 16, 1929. Serial No. 340,353.

from the interior thereof, whereby through the medium of a suitable spout connected with the casing, the crude cotton, that is to say, the cotton mixed With bolls, hulls and trash, as deliveredat the gin, may be drawn into the casing from a suitable source ofsupply, usually .a Wagon, and delivered directly to the cotton cleaning mechanism. I

A further general object of the invention 1 is to provide a cot-ton cleaning machine of,

the above character embodying in its construction a saw cylinderofopen-work formation and to induce the suction Within the casing by means of a suctionspout or pipe pro- ,jecting into the interior of the saw cylinder, whereby the crude cotton may not only be drawn into the casing of the machine and delivered to .the cleaning mechanism, but dust, dirt and other impurities ofsmall size, may be separated from the cotton by being drawn through the interstices provided in the drum of the saw cylinder and being carried out With-:the air fromthe casing.

ther objects of the invention relate to details of construction of a machine for enabling the broad objects of my invention to beaccomplished, and these Will be more clearly understood from the detailed description to follow.

* In the handling of cotton at the gin, it is customary ;to spout the crude cotton from the Wagons delivering-the same by means of suction, and the conveying spout, at some point within the gin, is provided With a bend, and the outergside of the spout or conduit at thecurve is formed of Wire mesh, or other reticulated.construction, Whereby theair may escape and the cotton, impinging on the screen, will 'bestopped -in its movement and ultimately fall vavvay from the screen down throughadischarge spout onto the'floor of the gin orinto a container for rece ving same. It frequently happens, however, especially if the cotton is slightly damp, that-thecotton Willmat against the screen toan extentto prevent the air from passing therethrough and an attendant is required to clean the screen at more or less frequent intervals. To avoid such matting of the cotton, as ell as to assist in breaking up bolls drawn in ith the cotton, breaking cylinders have been pro vided to rotate adjacent to the screen, but all such arrangements are,in a measure, 'unsatiss factory, and besides, involve the expense of additional equipment.

A cor ing t my i en ion, e ate ro he o ton y Pa ng t rough an o en-Work saw -,Cy1 ;l and a ra ie lemen s, uch as th ki k r 11, do b us nd laiming ylind per in pros u ity to the su a of th saw cy nd th ot i con an y remove ther fr m a d th p ni g in t s w cyl d rarer c me gge up to anrxt t9 Pr vent-the e ra s g o ai herethreegh- I In the drawings? a 'e r i a r wra t y i rea -.eler tien d pa y ins rt n of a tc el an ns onst u t d a cordi gl -Q my nr tienq; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view ,on the line 22 of Fig. 1. I r I Referring now to the drawings, the nuneral 1 indicates generally the casing of the mach i h h e e cl sedth name ments of the cotton cleaning ,rnechanisn comprising a saw cylinder 2, a kicker r9113, dofi'er rolls .and reclaiming saw cylinder Mounted adjacent to the .reclaimingsaw cylinder and extending throughout the length thereof is-a roWoffleXible' members such asbrushes 6. In "the present arrangement, I prefer :to mount-adjacent to th6li0kf Troll 3 an angle .bar 7, also extending throughout the length of this roll, and operating to break up any bolls thatmay. chance'tobe c arriedup by the kicker roll, ,or in any manner to ge t between.saidlrickerroll anchsaidbar'. or a like ,purpose, I preferably mount a sirni lar angle bar 8 adjacentito'the surf aceof the saw cylinder 2. r 7

:Below the reclaiming saw cylinder. 5, I mount a guard9, which operates to prevent small docks of cotton from being t hrown off of the reclaiming .savvfcylinden'f'orto enable he a r is sep- 7 members 12 and'13 is located below the saw .cylinder to receive'hulls thrown out through 'the latter to engage suchlocks of cotton if they are thrown off. To this end, the said guard provides a spacelO which is 'widerat its inletthan at its outlet,'the width of the space at the inlet being suificient. to receive small locks otcotton which'may be carried aroundby but thrown ofi' from the saw cylinder, and the widthofthespace' at'the outlet {being so constricted that the reclaimingsaw cylinder can readily pick uploosepiecesof cottonthrown from it. Between the brushes 6 and the upper end of the guard9, a space 11 is provided throughwhich hulls may be thrown out in the rotation ofthe 'sawcylinder. A trough consisting of converging side itherspa'cell, the lower'ends of these side members beingsecured to the upper ends'of circular casing members 14c and 15 in close proximity to','or in: contact with, the'walls of which rotatesa flutter wheel 16. On the opposite side ofithe: machine fromEthat just described, thecasing provides an enclosed p p v "dofier" roll t, this outlet beingformed. by

sidemembers 18and' 19, to the lower end'of' which are securedcircular casing members 20 I and 21, within 'which is mounted a flutter" outletl'l fonthe cotton-thrown oil by the wheel 22, the "outer ends of the armsof which rotate in close "proximity to, or in contact withfthefcasing' members 20' and 21 The. casing 1, as a whole, is sealed against the entrance-of air, except through an ingress Q to be'hereinafterreferred to, and the purpose of the flutter wheels 16 and 22; is to permit, in the one case, hulls, and the other, cot

ton; to be continuously removed from the a p a casing-and 'at the same time, prevent -en-* flutter wheels with the walls'of their respecs Atthe upper end, and preferablytherear side, ofi lthe casing '1, I provide an opening .4 extendingfsubstantially throughout" the trance of air by contactof the arms of the tive casings.

width oftlie casing, in which'is'hermetically secured the widened end portion-23 of a'fiue 24 t'o which' flue is adapted to be secured one e'nd'of a pipe or" other conduit, the other end of which is applied to the cotton'to be drawn into the machine; Within the casing l" adjacent tothe inner end or outlet of the'head 23, 1 provide a gate '25 which may, be :ad-

justedto control the flow of cotton into the machine. I e v For producing the'necessary suction to draw cottonintothe machine,I mount atone side of the machine, as shown by Fig.1 1, one p end ofa relatively large pipe 26' having an extension 27, preferably conical, projecting through one end ofthe saw cylinder and part way into the interior thereof. 'Air is adapted to be drawn through the pipe 26 by a suction famsuchfasi's usually employed in girls, but'which is'not Ishown.-. r

not be described in'detail. 3

leading 'featureot invention is'in forming the saw cylinder of'open-work' con struction. 'To this will mount on the shaft 28 of said saw cylindercircular frame-members 29 which support a series of longitudim1 bars'30. Secured to and extending circumferentially about thesejbars and from' end'to end thereof are a number of circular o saws v81, these saws being formedby bending" up at right angles o'ppositeedgeportionsof a relatively long strip of metal, and then forming saw-teeth in suchbent-up portions.

The strip thus formed may readily be placed in circular form on. the bars and nailed thereto with their saw-toothed edges projecting outward. The circular saws .31fare separated from each other by. spaces 82'which are of suflicient-width to permit the free passage of air, dirt, dust, and'smalliparticles oftrash to pass into the interior otthesaw cylinder, but small enough to prevent the passage of cotton through said spaces. The course of; i

the air into the machine, thence into the i saw cylinder. and through the pipe 26, is

clearly indicatedby the arrows in Figs 1 and 2.

, The'drivin'g mechanism for the; rotating members of the-machine is conyentional and isocle'arly illustrated in elevation in Fig. 1 i

and by 'thedotted'lines in .Fig. 2, and need In operation, power being app the various members of thecleaning mechani'sm in the respective directions indicated 2 V I by the arrows, and suction being set up in the 26, the crude or uncleaned "cotton; will lied torotate be drawn in'through flue2 l and into the casing 1 of themachine, belng, in a manner,-

distributed throughout the width of the ma chine by the head 23."-As clearly indicated by Fig. 2,'-as the cotton passes intothe ,machine, it strikes a curved portion 33 ofthe casing, which is imperforate, and is'defiected downwardly onto a hullboard 34:. The lower end of this hullboarddefines the size of a passage '35 between it :and the surface ofthe saw'cylinderfor-theescape of hulls and small locksor wads ofcotton whichmaynotbe 2. As the-cotton; is ,carriedupby the saw surtace'of the-saw cylinder to knock back a all hulls, bolls, and pieces of trashthatmay still be mixed with thecotton, so that sub-J 1 stantiallyonly clean cotton will pass beyond the kicker-roll. Thisis removed from the saw cylinder bythe dofier r0114 and, 'as previously stated is discharged through thepassage 17 onto thefflutter wheel 22 and removed thereby from the casing- A distributor in the form I of a belt conveyor 36, shown by dottedlines the saws while the hulls will be thrown out' through the opening 11. As the cotton is carried around by the reclaiming saw cylinder it will be disengaged therefrom .by the teeth of the main saw cylinder 2.

lVhile the above mechanical cleaning operation is proceeding, dirt, dust and small particles of trash and hulls will be drawn through the spaces 32 of the saw cylinder by suction and pass out through the pipe 26.

From the above description it will be seen that I utilize the saw cylinder itself as the medium for separating the air from the cotton. drawn in through the flue 24, and as this cylinder rotates and .-is being constantly cleaned by the action of the doffer roll 4, the brushes of which to this end will preferably enter the spaces between the sides of the saws, it follows that the saw cylinder can never be matted with cotton, and hence the free passage of air therethrough is never interrupted. It will also be seen that the direction of the cotton on entering the casing of the machine is changed by impact with the curvedimperforate surface 33. and is thereby directed 'downwardly to the hullboard 34 and into contact with the revolving saw cylinder 2. I thus avoid the use of perforated stationary surfaces, curved or otherwise, for separating the air from the cotton, and directing the course thereof, and, as stated, the free passage of air through the machine is maintained at all times.

I claim: I

1. In a cotton cleaning machine, cotton cleaning mechanism including a hollow saw cylinder provided with circumferential openings between the saws, a casing hermetically enclosing the cleaning mechanism, means for drawing air through said circumferential openings into the interior of the saw cylinder whereby to create suction within the casing to draw crude cotton into the machine into contact with the cleaning mechanism, and hull-repelling and cotton-removing members co-operating with said saw cylinder.

2. In a cotton cleaning machine, cotton cleaning mechanism including a hollow saw cylinder provided with circumferential openings between the saws, a casing hermetically enclosing the cleaning mechan sm, means for drawing air through said circumferent al openings into the interior of the saw cylinder whereby to create suction within the easing to draw crude cotton into the machine into contact with the cleaning mechanism, hull-repelling and cotton-removing means cocleaning aaismineladina a; hollow ylinde provid d. with circumf rential open ng-s, a ca inshe smetieally enclosing the leaningmeehauism, a suction pine leadin ntov the apparent-Qt said casinstm an for rawing airv through aaid circumferentia openings inte th int rior @f-t e s w Qylim d r to. c eate su ti n within. said asiagto dr w i to he machine crude cotton. throug a d suction pipe, an IQP-QZTIQI'EEEQ guide f r direc ingthe crude otton cnterinsthe ma hin int the acne theeleauieg 3 1301121: nism. and m answithi' the casing Q T$ ll-%= a ing the a r mtheqottoa. v

na; co ton cleaning maehieepeo ten clea ing mechan sm inc uding a hollo saw ylind r p ovi ed with ircumferential oil-en ings, a casing hermetically enclosing the leaning mechanism auctio Pine leadin into said casing, means for"drawingairthrough, said circumferential openings into the interior of the saw cylinder to create suction within said casingto draw into the ma.- chine crude cotton through said suction pipe, an imperforate curved guide for directing the crude cotton entering the machine into the zone of the cleaning mechanism, and means within the casing for separating the air from the cotton. Y

5. In a cotton cleaning machine, cotton cleaning mechanism including a hollow saw 1 cylinder provided with circumferential open- 7 ings between the saws, a casing hermetically enclosing the cleaning mechanism, a suct1on pipe leading into the upper part of said casing, means for drawing air through said cir cumferential openings into the interior of the saw cylinder whereby to createsuction within the casing to draw crude cotton into the machine through said suction pipe, an imperforate guide for directing the crude cot ton entering the machine into the zone of the cleaning mechanism, and means co-operating with said saw cylinder for removing hulls W from the cotton and for removing cotton from the saw cylinder, respectively. I

6. In a cotton cleaning machine, cotton cleaning mechanism including a hollow saw cylinder provided with circumferential openings between the saws, a casing hermetically enclosing the cleaning mechanism, a suction pipe leading into the upper part of said casing, a pipe projecting into one end of said I saw cylinder. in which suction may be created to draw air through the openings in said saw cylinder from said casing, whereby to draw crude cotton by suction through said suction pipe into caid casing, an imperforate guide for directing the entering cotton into'the fa-ll onto said hullboard, and devicesIco-open zone of the vcleaningmechanism; the air'and smaller impurities beingseparated from I thecotton b'y passing through the. openings in said sawcylinder, anddevices co-operatingwith said'saw cylinder for separating the ,hulls from 'the cotton-andthe cotton from r the 'saw'cylinder, respectively. c' y 7 In a cotton cleaning machine, cotton: i "cleaning mechanism including a hollow' saw cylinder provided with circumferential open- I v in-gs'betweenthe saws; a casing hermetically enclosing thecleaning mechanism, means for 'di'awing'air through said circumferential openings into the interim-of the saw cylinder Iwhereby to create suction within the casing to draw crude cotton into the machine, a hullboardthe lower end fofwhich defines the 1 size of an-openin'g for the escape' of hullsp'astsaid saw cylinden'an imper'forateguide for i directing the entering cotton .to 'causeit-to ating with said saw cylinderafor removing hullsfr'om the cotton and for removing cotton from the saw cylinder, respectively.

, ;;,J0 MITCHELL.-

- In testimony fwhereof, have'hereufnto set I 

